It’s nearly May and it’s cold! However, brewers all over the country are busy brewing Mild beer. Mild, as a beer style, has been around for a few hundred years. These days it tends to be lower in strength than most beers, although that wasn’t generally the case until the First World War, when brewers were forced to limit the strength of their beers (that’s our story, anyway!).

Once sold in every pub, mild experienced a sharp decline in popularity after the 1960s and was in danger of completely disappearing. However, in recent years the explosion of microbreweries has led to a modest renaissance and an increasing number of milds (sometimes labelled “Dark”) are now being brewed.

Milds are usually dark in colour, but light Milds are also brewed. As the amount of hops in the recipe is relatively low, the dark malt that provides the colour also predominates in flavour. We also like a Mild to have some caramel in the recipe too as at low levels it gives a smooth roundness that makes for easy drinking and the second and third pints come by in quick succession (Mild is not made for sipping!).

Unsurprisingly, our Dark Horse Mild fits the bill perfectly. It’s available on tap here at the brewery, and our regular customers include The Embankment, The Ale Wagon, The Geese and Fountain, The Railway, The White Bear, The Dog & Gun, and the Horse & Trumpet…and you’ll definitely find some at the Noel’s Arms in Melton as they took two casks last week!

Other brewers also make Milds that are almost as good and Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild, brewed to a pre-World War I recipe, is a rare example of a strong Mild (6.0% ABV). If you can’t find Belvoir Brewery Dark Horse Mild in your local, why not try any of the locally brewed ones that you can find next month and enjoy Mild in May!